Best Actor

News Nuggets: Sales of Adele’s ’21’ approach 10 million

Adele‘s “21” closes in on record sales of 10 million: “Combined, ’21’ has sold 9.5 million copies in 15 months, putting it just 500,000 copies shy of the magical 10 million-mark. That’s unheard of in today’s music business. To put that figure in perspective, consider that the most recent album to cross the 10 million sales threshold was Usher’s ‘Confession,’ which only broke that barrier this year. ‘Confessions’ was released eight years ago, in 2004! In fact, overall album sales for the first half of 2012 were down 3.2 percent, according to Nielsen Soundscan, as fans buy fewer and fewer albums — probably in favor of streaming and other forms of entertainment away from music.” REUTERS

Tony-winning costume designer Martin Pakledinaz dies: “Two-time Tony Award winner Martin Pakledinaz, who designed hundreds of costumes for stars such as Sutton Foster and Patti LuPone, has died, his agent said Monday. He was 58. Pakledinaz died Sunday at his home in New York after a long battle with cancer, according to Patrick Herold, his agent. Pakledinaz received Tonys for his designs for ‘Kiss Me Kate’ in 2000 — with Marin Mazzie and Brian Stokes Mitchell — and ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie,’ two years later with Foster, whom he also dressed for her Tony-winning turn in ‘Anything Goes.'” WASHINGTON POST

Remembering Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine: “He was like the big, boisterous uncle at the family dinner party: a lumpen raconteur who would geyser opinions, reach down the long table for a second helping, impress the kids and annoy prim Aunt Ethel with his booming personality. Millions of these characters exist in America, but there was only one Ernest Borgnine. The actor, who earned an Oscar in 1956 as the lonely butcher in ‘Marty’ and starred in four seasons of the military sitcom ‘McHale’s Navy,’ died yesterday at 95, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood, after an improbably long and robust career in movies.” TIME

Harvey Weinstein compares Barack Obama to “The King’s Speech”: “‘I’ll give you an example of two movies that I distribute,’ Weinstein tells [Rachel] Maddow. ‘I spent the exact same amount on both movies. One movie was called “The King’s Speech.” It grossed $140 million, won a few Oscars including best picture, and did sensational based on its budget. The other picture was called “Our Idiot Brother,”‘ Weinstein continues. ‘And we spent the same exact amount of money on it and it grossed $25 million. To me,” Weinstein concludes, ‘[Mitt] Romney is “Our Idiot Brother,” and Obama is “The King’s Speech.” You can spend all the money in the world. If you’ve got a bad product, it doesnt matter.'” HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Jennifer Hudson hopes her “Smash” role will lead her to Broadway: “She’ll appear on the second season of the television musical drama series ‘Smash’ in a multi-episode arc as a Broadway star named Veronica Moore. On ‘Smash,’ Hudson will join fellow ‘American Idol‘ alum Katharine McPhee, who’s one of the show’s main characters. ‘It’s just the perfect opportunity,’ Hudson, a fan of the NBC show, said in a recent interview. ‘It’s gonna be challenging, and I’m a little bit intimidated to play this big Broadway star. But it’s gonna be a great experience. I can’t wait to get started.’ She also admitted the show may be a way for her to ease into an appearance on Broadway.” ASSOCIATED PRESS

Judith Ivey added to the cast of Broadway’s “The Heiress“: “Tony Award winner Judith Ivey joins Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain, Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner David Strathairn and the leading man of ‘Downton Abbey‘ Dan Stevens in a new production of the unforgettable drama and Tony Award winning play ‘The Heiress.’ Written by Ruth & Augustus Goetz, ‘The Heiress’ will be directed by Tony Award nominated playwright and director Moisés Kaufman … Preview performances begin October 7, 2012 at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 W. 48th St. NYC). Opening night is November 1, 2012.” BROADWAY WORLD